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I am leaving a job but I expect to work for a while more. Thought the "retirement" thread might be good as I'm sure that plenty have been doing their research...(Now please share it with me.....!)
Wouldn't the type of work you are in be the biggest determining factor in where you will go? You failed to say what type of work that is.
I have lived abroad in several countries over the last 10 years or so. I have varied job skills.
I had lived in Boston for the previous 10 years before heading out of country. Have also lived in DC, New York, San Diego. Grew up in Maine.
I am well aware of all the "best cities" lists and so forth. I often find them--not so accurate!
I am done with the metropolis-like places. They are soul-crushing and it is astonishing to me the level of anger that has popped up in many of these hotspots. Particularly in the last couple of decades.
Looking for smaller metro areas or cities that sometimes you just stumble onto and you find that the majority of people are reasonable, driving isn't a deathsport and there are things going on.
To narrow it down. All of New England is out. NY, PA, NJ, etc---no more! Most of Midwest--probably not. Don't need that weather. Like the Western States but a bit concerned about being isolated. States of interest for me are TN, KY, LA, GA.
An airport with decent connections, vibrant music scene and reasonable people are at the top of my wishlist.
Some places I have found to my liking over the years include Huntsville AL, Appleton WI, Burlington VT, Portland ME, Helena, MT. New Orleans, Austin, and Nashville seem like they're on the way to becoming what I want to avoid. Was in Austin a couple years ago and I thought---"man, I wish I had been here 20 years ago!"
I am leaving a job but I expect to work for a while more. Thought the "retirement" thread might be good as I'm sure that plenty have been doing their research...(Now please share it with me.....!)
We need a clearer definition of what you consider "reasonable people." You're kind of all over the place in what you're looking so trying to narrow it down is hard.
You don't want a big city but you want "things going on" which to me says bigger city.
If by reasonable you mean "nice" - the upper midwest and pacific northwest have the "nice" thing down in my opinion. For the vibrant music scene - those tend to be associated with cities that have a college presence. I might suggest mid-sized college cities ie: Madison, WI. I hear good things about Minneapolis area too.
You mentioned Georgia, so maybe Athens? Kentucky - Louisville? Not sure about the music scene there which I would associate more with Memphis or Nashville for the general region, but it doesn't sound to me that Memphis is what you're looking for.
Portland, OR definitely has a music scene and stuff going on. It's a relatively big city (about the size of Austin), but having lived in Texas I can guarantee you it does not have that kind of traffic. If you've lived in southern California or big cities on the east coast, Portland traffic seems very mild.
We need a clearer definition of what you consider "reasonable people." You're kind of all over the place in what you're looking so trying to narrow it down is hard.
You don't want a big city but you want "things going on" which to me says bigger city.
If by reasonable you mean "nice" - the upper midwest and pacific northwest have the "nice" thing down in my opinion. For the vibrant music scene - those tend to be associated with cities that have a college presence. I might suggest mid-sized college cities ie: Madison, WI. I hear good things about Minneapolis area too.
You mentioned Georgia, so maybe Athens? Kentucky - Louisville? Not sure about the music scene there which I would associate more with Memphis or Nashville for the general region, but it doesn't sound to me that Memphis is what you're looking for.
Portland, OR definitely has a music scene and stuff going on. It's a relatively big city (about the size of Austin), but having lived in Texas I can guarantee you it does not have that kind of traffic. If you've lived in southern California or big cities on the east coast, Portland traffic seems very mild.
Agree. Plus, add in an airport with great connections and this translates into a large metropolis.
You're too hard to pin down, OP. Or, what you're looking for just doesn't exist.
I think you'd like Knoxville. There's a lot going on. You're right Nashville is headed the way of Austin. You could check out Chattanooga as well - but they seem to be busy hyping themselves to the trendster crowd and that could get annoying if they succeed. But then you could sell your house at a good profit and move to Knoxville or even Johnson City.
Richmond, VA is about like where Austin was 20 years ago. I've been in both 20 -25 years ago and today. Austin took off while Richmond plodded forward, comparatively. Richmond is less expensive too. Music and restaurants scene is better in Austin by far, but east coast cities are close.
Is this really true? I was there about 30+ years ago & felt very uncomfortable, couldn't really put my finger on it, like it was a very repressed & "churchy" atmosphere, but I'll agree it was a long time ago & could've been the people I was with (& that I'm a yankee). But does it now have a more open, progressive vibe & is there a strong university town culture like Austin had?
I've heard that Austin has indeed "jumped the shark" & is becoming something else, well times & places always change...
Some of the places we have looked at might fit the bill including Chico, Paradise, Auburn, Grass Valley and Placerville in CA, Reno/Carson City/Minden/Gardenerville, NV and Prescott, AZ. Some people like Santa Fe, NM too.
I will say that I went to the Grass Valley/Nevada City area a few years ago & was very taken with it & would recommend it for anybody to spend a bit of time in to explore. While it is a bit small for my taste as a permanent residence (city boy here) it has a very nice "vibe" with nice places to eat, drink & natural areas to explore & near Tahoe. The summer weather was great but I wonder if the winter is the catch, I don't know anything about the economics of living there. I would definitely go back for a long weekend.
I will say that I went to the Grass Valley/Nevada City area a few years ago & was very taken with it & would recommend it for anybody to spend a bit of time in to explore. While it is a bit small for my taste as a permanent residence (city boy here) it has a very nice "vibe" with nice places to eat, drink & natural areas to explore & near Tahoe. The summer weather was great but I wonder if the winter is the catch, I don't know anything about the economics of living there. I would definitely go back for a long weekend.
Not sure what you mean by "near" Tahoe, but Grass Valley/Nevada City isn't that close to Lake Tahoe. It's about a two hour drive. But it is a very nice area and cooler than the Sacramento delta.
Wow, thanks for all the info people! I Will try to explain what I mean by "genuine" and "reasonable."
I pulled into Helena, Montana a few years ago with a girlfriend of mine from Germany. We stayed at a very un-fancy motor court right down town. Walked all over the place and people were just great. Everywhere. Walked into a bookstore on the main drag and had a conversation with a girl who had moved out there from CT a couple decades before. Saw a fridge magnet I liked in a shop next door. The owner was having problems with his cash register---so he just gave me the magnet and then chatted with me for 20 minutes about everything from baseball to politics. We went to a bit of a "dive-bar" that night to get a couple drinks and see what was on. Just decent local working people playing pool and listening to music. On and on there. That is "genuine" to me. No starbucks. No foodies. no foolishness. Lets live life and leave the pretensions at the door.
I lean left---but some of the best conversations/ debates I have ever had are with people who lean right. "Reasonable" to me means having your beliefs but being respectful of others. IMHO, the biggest mistake we make in the country is turning politics into Red Sox-Yankees. It's much more important than that. But I digress. Being "reasonable" also means that you realize you are not at the center of the universe and act accordingly. The big cities everywhere in the country---actually all over the world appear to be in the process of being taken over by yes-----the hipsters, the foodies, the trust-fund babies. They'll disappear as soon as crime goes up or they "have to put some skin in the game."
As far as work--I've did alot of things. Landscaping, bartender, did a tour in the military. Lately have been doing technical support/ field engineer work. So I am not so concerned about finding a job. In a way, that's how people end up in places they don't want to be----by following jobs. I've did it a couple of times. It doesn't have a good ending.......
Why don't you go back to Helena if you think it was so great? BTW, having a few nice memories is great, but were you there long enough to get see more of the bad as well as the good?
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